STORY EXCERPT

“You don’t call. You don’t write. You don’t send a postcard from the location of your cult to tell me you’re still drinking the brainwashing Kool-Aid.”

Winnie rolled his eyes and waved a hand behind him. “Why don’t we go into the kitchen and grab something to eat while we talk about this?”

“Oh no.” Lenny shook his hands in front of him. “You’re not getting me deeper into the liar so I can be brainwashed, too.” Although he had to admit, the mansion was one fancy place. “You called me weeks ago and told me you were kidnapped. I tried to rescue you, and Mr. Cult himself wasn’t even arrested. Now you’re blissfully happy?”

Lenny glanced at Mr. Cult, who was behind Winnie, looking at something on his phone. The guy’s jaw was clenched, and every so often he looked at Lenny with narrowed eyes.

“Does he always shadow you?” Lenny pressed his hand to the side of his mouth as he whispered, “Can’t he go away?”

“You’re being unreasonable,” Winnie said. “My life is normal. I’m not brainwashed. I just jumped the gun when I called you.” He gave a nervous laugh. “I was afraid of falling in love.”

Lenny didn’t buy a word of what his cousin was saying. Mr. Cult’s gray-green eyes were cold and flat as he glanced at Lenny.

“Just come into the kitchen.” Winnie grabbed Lenny’s hand and dragged him through the gorgeous house. He kept waiting for someone to grab him and strap him down to a chair so they could mess with his mind.

“Five minutes.” Lenny snatched his hand free. “And if anyone comes near me, I’m kicking them in the balls.”

He wanted to believe that Winnie was happy. Lenny truly did. But there was something about Mr. Cult that set off Lenny’s warning bells.

“Trust me,” Winnie said as he headed to the fridge. “Wallace got rid of the trash around here. He’s looking for a new butler but decided one bodyguard was all he needed.”

Wallace. That was Mr. Cult’s name. Lenny didn’t care if Winnie’s new boyfriend was drop-dead gorgeous. He still didn’t like him. Lenny could tell that no amount of talking to Winnie would work. His cousin was fully enmeshed in this situation.

He’d been hardcore trying to get Winnie out of this, had even gone to the cops and convinced them that his cousin had been kidnapped. What he hadn’t told Winnie was that he’d even put up missing fliers around Maple Grove in hopes someone spotted his cousin.

And there he stood, pouring what looked like lemonade. Lenny shook his head when Winnie offered him a glass. He wasn’t eating or drinking anything in this house.

“You’re welcome to come by anytime to check on me.” Winnie took a sip of his drink. “You know, to make sure I’m still alive and brainwashed.”

His cousin was teasing him but had no clue just how worried Lenny had been. Still was. “That’s not funny.”

“Lighten up,” Winnie said. “I promise you everything is fine.”

His cousin could say that until the cows came home, but Lenny wouldn’t one hundred percent believe him.

Lenny felt really annoyed when someone entered the room from behind him. Wallace needed to stop hovering. It wasn’t as if Lenny would grab Winnie and haul him out of there.

Well, he would if Winnie had been willing.

When Lenny looked over his shoulder, it wasn’t Wallace entering the kitchen. It was the hottest guy to walk the earth. Sexy was super tall, thick with muscles, and had the prettiest green eyes. Lenny was in instant lust.

“Wallace wanted me to remind you that we’re heading out in twenty minutes,” Sexy said to Winnie.

Lenny’s lips parted as he took a deep and shuddering breath. All his nerves seemed to fire at once as Sexy walked across the room and grabbed a bottled water from the fridge.

He twisted around and locked gazes with Lenny. “This must be the cousin you keep talking about,” he said to Winnie, but Sexy’s eyes never left Lenny’s.

The guy walked over and stuck out his hand. “I’m Chavez Fernando.”

“Your name is Chavez?” Winnie frowned. “I guess you do have a first name, although I’ve never heard anyone use it.”

Lenny’s body went up in flames as he extended his hand. Instead of Chavez shaking it, he kissed Lenny’s knuckles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, novio.”

Lenny sucked in a breath and grinned like a complete idiot. Until he remembered where he was. He snatched his hand back and glared at Chavez. “I ain’t drinking the Kool-Aid, no matter how gorgeous you are.”

Chavez looked at Winnie.

His cousin rolled his eyes. “He thinks I was brainwashed when I got here and I’m staying because of Stockholm syndrome.”

Chavez’s brows rose. “Ah, yes. Chapman hijacked you from work. I remember.”

“He was fired,” Winnie said to Lenny. “Just so you know. He was supposed to ask me to come here, not kidnap me. Wallace got rid of him.”

Winnie and Chavez exchanged a look, and Lenny was dying to know what it was about. But he didn’t ask. He needed to get out of there before he fell under Chavez’s spell and was never seen again.

“Well, you guys have things to do, so I’m gonna head out.” Lenny slid off the stool he’d been seated on at the gorgeous marble island. Wallace’s house really was fancy and nice.

“I’ll walk you out.” Chavez joined him as Lenny walked toward the front door.

“So what was that word you used?” Lenny asked. “A secret code that means you’re gonna drag me to some dungeon so you can reprogram my brain?”

Chavez’s hearty laugh was heart-stopping. Pretty white teeth. A shine in his green eyes. Laugh lines that made him look ten times more handsome. Lenny was mentally swooning.

“Winnie did tell me about your notions. There has been no brainwashing. Just fate intervening.” He winked. “Novio means sweetheart.”

Lenny laid his hand on the doorknob. “You’re flirting with me?”

“And if I was?” Chavez’s voice had grown husky and deep, making Lenny’s cock twitch.

ADULT EXCERPT

Lenny edged past Chavez’s large frame, his body brushing against his mate’s. He returned to his bedroom and felt Chavez right behind him, almost breathing down Lenny’s neck.

He stood where Chavez had been sleeping. Lenny twisted his hands in front of him. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”

“I don’t mind.” Chavez closed the door. “I’ve slept on worse.”

“You could…um, sleep in my bed. It’s a lot more comfortable than a hardwood floor.” Lenny felt his cheeks heat up again. If he kept blushing this badly, his head would catch fire. He had a queen-sized bed and still doubted the two of them could fit comfortably in it. Chavez really was a big guy.

Chavez’s smile was genuine and sweet in the light of the moon. Lenny saw himself totally falling for this guy. It wouldn’t be a hard thing to do. “I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

And Lenny’s head just caught fire. His blush was so hot that he pressed a hand to his face to make sure tiny sparks weren’t erupting.

“You get in first,” Chavez said. “I’d prefer to sleep closest to the door.”

Lenny’s bed was against the wall, which cocooned him in when Chavez joined him. He pressed his back against the wall, trying to give his mate as much space as his broad physique needed.

“If you hug that wall any closer, you’ll become a part of it.” Chavez pulled Lenny close and curled around him. “Much better.”

Maybe for Chavez, but the way the guy was wrapped around him had Lenny thinking about nakedness and fucking.

And the damn guy let off a lot of heat. In no time Lenny was sweating his ass off. He wished he’d turned the central air on before they’d gotten into bed.

He wiggled, trying to put some space between them so he could cool off, but every time he slid a little away, Chavez pulled him right back against his hard body.

“I’m gonna drown in my own sweat,” Lenny complained. “You’re a freaking furnace.”

He also wanted to get away because he was getting a boner being so close to Chavez. Lenny turned onto his stomach and stared at Chavez, although it wasn’t easy to fully see him in the dark, even with the help of the moon casting its glow into the room.

“We need a fan on us.”

Chavez waved his hand in front of Lenny’s face. “Better?”

“I’ll let you know after I’m finished drowning.” He batted Chavez’s hand away. His mate caught Lenny’s fingers and entwined their hands together.

Lenny’s heart went into overdrive as Chavez caressed Lenny’s hand with his thumb. The gentle circling action did nothing to relieve the ache in Lenny’s groin, and made it extremely hard to think. It was like Chavez was gravity and Lenny found himself moving back toward his mate, a magnetic pull.

Lenny couldn’t have dragged himself away even if he’d wanted to. And he didn’t want to. He’d told himself that he wanted to get to know the wolf shifter better before committing to anything, before binding their souls together, but that decision was being tested.

His lips parted and his eyes widened when his mate untangled their hands and cupped the back of Lenny’s head, drawing his face closer to his.

“I can think of a few ways to cool off,” Chavez said quietly.

Lenny couldn’t help it. A tiny laugh worked its way up his throat. “That’s not cooling off. That produces more body heat.”

“Semantics.”

Their lips touched, and a spark ignited inside Lenny. He could no more resist than he could stop breathing. They rolled, and Chavez hovered over him, taking the kiss deeper as the two tried their best to get undressed while their lips were still locked together.

Lenny felt insane, giddy, and terrified. Chavez was passionate, his tongue taking over, dominating the kiss, placing ownership on Lenny in ways Lenny thoroughly enjoyed.

Their clothes were gone, nothing but skin gliding over skin. Lenny was losing the ability to breathe from Chavez’s deep kisses. If he died because he no longer had air in his lungs, he wouldn’t care.

Then Chavez started talking in his native tongue. The words sounded sensual and erotic, making Lenny wish he’d paid attention in Spanish class. For all he knew, Chavez could’ve been telling him what he wanted for breakfast or how Trails was gonna kill them all.

Lenny’s body didn’t care what his mate was saying. The more Chavez talked, the more fire filled his blood. His mate was dangerous in so many ways, yet all Lenny could think about was belonging to the wolf shifter.

Lenny gasped and groaned when Chavez kissed his way down his body, lingering at his nipples. It was sweet, teasing heat against his body. Lenny writhed, spreading his legs farther apart, his muscles spasming and jerking.

The way Chavez was working his body had Lenny ready to give the guy any damn thing he wanted. They hadn’t even had sex yet, and Lenny was close to coming.

Chavez nipped Lenny’s left nipple then bathed the hard pebble with his tongue, lashing it across Lenny’s skin. The way Chavez leaned over him, his stomach rubbed over Lenny’s cock, trapping the hard flesh, adding pressure, but not friction.

Chavez gave Lenny a wicked grin before he moved lower, kissing each of Lenny’s hips, and then he engulfed Lenny’s cock, swallowing him to the root as he held Lenny’s hips down.

In the back of Lenny’s mind he knew they weren’t alone, that Chavez’s friends were in the living room, but he couldn’t stop the keening wail from escaping. He thrashed his head from side to side as he thrust deep into Chavez’s mouth.

Lenny’s lips parted as he drew in shallow breaths, arching his back as he groaned. He was overwhelmed by Chavez’s talented skills, and within moments, his orgasm crested and pulled him under, his cum erupting down Chavez’s throat.

As Lenny tried to refocus, Chavez crawled up his body, licking his lips as he settled between Lenny’s legs. “Lube?”

“Nightstand.” Lenny threw a limp arm out toward the drawer.

Chavez mouth covered Lenny’s hungrily, his tongue sweeping inside. He sucked on Chavez’s tongue as his mate reached for the drawer.